Matt Hancock will reportedly enter the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle tonight, and will make his on-screen debut during Wednesday’s episode.
The former UK Health Secretary will be joined by comedian Seann Walsh as late arrivals to the camp.
According to The Sun, the 44-year-old will be paid a whopping £400,000 for his highly anticipated appearance on the show.
But who is Matt Hancock, and why did he make headlines last year?
The MP had to resign from his role as Health Secretary in 2021 after it was revealed that he had breached COVID-19 social distancing restrictions by kissing his colleague Gina Coladangelo at his cabinet office – despite being married.
Prior to the scandal, Matt had been at the centre of the UK government’s fight against the pandemic, often appearing on the TV and radio to urge the public to follow the strict rules to contain the virus.
He also advised people to “avoid casual sex” and to “stick to established partners”.
Watch Matt Hancock affair video as he kisses Gina Coladangelo in his office after checking the coast is clear https://t.co/AutUSdQM6k
— Shane Beatty (@ShaneBeattyNews) June 25, 2021
Earlier this year, Matt addressed the scandal in a tell-all interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett.
The father-of-three explained that he “fell in love with somebody” and it “all happened very quickly” – but insisted he did not break the law.
He said: “I resigned because I broke the social distancing guidelines. By then, they weren’t actually rules, they weren’t the law. But that’s not the point.”
“The point is they were the guidelines that I’d been proposing. That happened because I fell in love with somebody.”
Matt Hancock x The Diary Of A CEO!
Matt Hancock stopped by with his new partner Gina to speak to me.
It’s time to find out what really happened, it’s time to ask the questions we’ve not had answers to; Party gate? Where did the CCTV footage come from? What mistakes did he make? pic.twitter.com/JVUiLpiDV0
— Steven Bartlett (@SteveBartlettSC) February 14, 2022
Matt said he had known Gina, the woman he was spotted kissing in leaked CCTV footage, for “more than half” his life, and explained that she had been tasked with helping him communicate better with the public.
He told Steven: “We spent a lot of time together, ironically trying to get me to be able to communicate in a more emotionally intelligent way, and we fell in love.”
“That’s something that was completely outside of my control and I, of course, regret the pain that that’s caused. It actually happened after the rules were lifted, but the guidance was still in place. I hold no bitterness about this because I broke the rules, I ‘fess up. I broke the guidance.”
Matt also insisted he did not have “casual sex” with Gina, who he is now officially dating, saying: “I haven’t had casual sex with anybody. I fell in love with somebody.”
While many are looking forward to watching Matt take on Bushtucker Trials when he enters the I’m A Celeb jungle, others are not so impressed that he signed up for the show.
Defending his decision to go on the show, Matt wrote in The UK Su last week: “Next week I’m going into the jungle, as part of this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.”
He admitted “some may think I’ve lost my marbles or had one too many drinks,” however, he believes what better way to resonate with the UK public than going on “the most watched programme on TV?”
“It’s popular TV shows like [This Morning, Loose Women and Gogglebox] – and I’m A Celebrity.., of course — that help to deliver important messages to the masses,” the 44-year-old continued.
Matt said he wants to use the show to promote the campaigning work on dyslexia, which he has been diagnosed with.
He said: “I want to use this incredible platform to raise awareness, so no child leaves primary school not knowing if they have dyslexia.”
A spokesperson for the politician previously said he will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia off the back of his appearance.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here continues on ITV and Virgin Media One tonight at 9:15pm.
